Modbert
Daydream Believer
- Sep 2, 2008
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Scott lawyer admits he misled high court on rail | Post on Politics
I'm sure he didn't intend for the claim to be taken as a factual statement.
In a remarkable admission, Rick Scotts legal counsel Thursday told the Florida Supreme Court that he misled justices on the amount of money already spent on the states high-speed rail project a key detail that may have helped cinch the governors victory in a constitutional tug-of-war.
In a two-page letter to Chief Justice Charles Canady, Scotts general counsel, Charles Trippe, acknowledged that last month he misrepresented a central fact in arguments supporting the governors rejection of $2.4 billion in federal funds for the project linking Tampa with Orlando.
Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, one of two senators who sued Scott saying he had exceeded his constitutional authority in killing the project, said Thursday evening that Trippes letter is a huge admission.
In the letter, Trippe admitted he was wrong when he told justices that $110 million of the $130 million authorized by the Florida Legislature for the project approved in 2009 had already been spent.
Instead, Trippe said only $31 million had actually been spent a major gap that appears to have shaped the courts decision that sided with Scott.
I'm sure he didn't intend for the claim to be taken as a factual statement.